Witched  The Betrayal
by The Spokesman
Summary: Uriah has completed his training and is now ready to rebel against Demon and the others. The W.i.t.c.h.e.d. group travels to Nreyda to defeat Luck. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Tibor looked out his window. He was unsure of himself. He knew that Phobos wanted to do good, but he wasn't sure. Even though he seemed like he was a changed man, Tibor was suspicious.

Will looked out the window of the room. Everyone seemed to be standing still. In truth they were moving but Will and the others were moving so fast it looked like they were standing still. _How is this possible?_ she thought. She looked over at Dark. He was showing Irma how to create a geyser.

_I wonder what I'll be able to do?_ She looked over at Taranee. Dark was showing her how to use longer flame blasts. Dark had taught all of the girls something...All except Will and Hay Lin.

"Wow! This is great!"

Cornelia was using her new move, creating huge, sharp spires.

"Just be careful," Dark told her, "If not you'll make one too big for you to control."

Will looked at Hay Lin. Instead of looking jealous because Dark was training her, she looked happy.

"Aren't you mad?" Will finally asked her.

"Nope," she replied with a smile, "Dark trained them first so that he could spend all the time he needed on me and you."

"Why me?"

"Because we need a strong leader."

Phobos walked up to Tibor. "Are you all right?" he asked him.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Tibor wanted to ask the question "Why do you care?" but it seemed that Phobos had changed in more than one way.

"I was thinking about my daughter. I lost her and now I'll never see her again." He tried to hold back tears, but failed. He fell to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. Phobos placed his hand on Tibor's shoulder.

"Come on," a voice said, "Your daughter is here on Earth. I know how to find her."

The two of them looked around until they saw who'd said that. They saw...

"Fate!"

Dark had finally finished training the other girls and now was able to teach Will and Hay Lin. _So,_ Will thought, _What can I do?_

"All right," Dark said energetically, "Let's get going." With that Dark led the girls into another room in the chamber. After entering, Will looked out side of the window. Though they were moving faster than normal, the others looked like they were doing everything in slow-motion!

"We're moving at the speed of sound," Dark told her, "Did you think we'd be moving slowly?" He looked over at Hay Lin. "It's time to begin."

While the Guardians and Keepers are training, someone-or something is watching them. "I know you don't want see me, Flyer," it says, "but you will after you know what I have." Using a strange power, it puts a note at the door of the room called "TRAINING CHAMBER".

"He'll see it here for even he can't stay in there forever." With that being said, the entity disappears.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Uriah and Death, a.k.a. Mr. Snipe, were preparing their trap to catch Dark."...And then I'll pull this string," he heard Death say, "and we got him."

"Whatever," Uriah said with a sigh, "Why is everything so elaborate with you guys?"

"What do you mean by 'us guys?'"

"Nreydans."

"Well, we despise simple things, like some humans do. This 'Dark' character is one of them. Either that or he's a Nreydan." He laughed. Uriah tilted his head and sighed. "What?" Death said between chuckles. "You don't get it?"

"No, I get it. It's just that...Well it's a dumb joke."

"Hmph!" Death turned away from Uriah. _Stupid brat!_ he thought. _Why do I have to work with __**him**__?_

_Because you work for me!_

Both Uriah and Death looked around, trying to find Demon. "My leige?" Death asked, looking around. He looked frantic.

"Boss?" Uriah called."Where are you?"

_I'm not there. I'm in Nreyda. Is the trap set?_

"Yes, my liege," Death said. Uriah nodded.

_Good._ He was silent for a moment. Then he said _Remember, not a scratch on him._

"Don't worry," Uriah reassured him, "You're dealing with the pros. You get only the best service."

_I hope you're right._

"Which I am."

_Well this is your task, Death, but he'll be rewarded for helping you. I'll reward you also, if you do this right, and punish you if you don't._ His voice turned to Uriah. _I have another job for you, young man._

"Which is?"

_I want you to destroy the Guardians!_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Fate!"

Tibor and Phobos stared at the girl. She was small, about 5' 0" and, like Dark, wore long, flowing capes. What little of her outfit the two could see was velvet.

"Stop drooling," she teased, "If you want to see your daughter come on!"

"But," Tibor began.

"No time for that." She grabbed his arm. "Let's go!"

The three walked down the hallway and into a large room, covered in silk, leather and velvet. Though the rooms Dark had given them were nice, this room put them all to shame. As the three gasped in awe someone else opened the door. Quickly the trio ran for cover. In the doorway was a woman. She looked about 30. She had long, brown hair and green eyes. She was wearing a peach bathrobe.

"It's so nice to finally be back," she said. She sat on her bed. "Now I don't have to worry about anything. Dark takes care of it, and I just have to pay a small rent fee." She sighed. "Life...is good."

She walked over to her wardrobe. She pulled out a black and red dress and a pair of matching shoes. While she was doing this Fate, Tibor and Phobos were thinking of a way to get away.

"Are you three gonna leave or do you want to see the show?"

The trio sprang from their hiding places. Tibor and Fate had hidden behind the long curtains in the room while Phobos had hidden in her laundry hamper.

"I'm sorry," Fate said, "I went in the wrong room." Quickly she and her parners in crime walked out of the room to the next door.

"Okay," she said, "_This_ is the door I wanted to go to."

"I hope you're right," Phobos said wearily, "I can't do another hamper dive."

"You won't have to." Fate opened the door to find...Nothing! The room was all dark and the furniture had sheets covering it.

"What happened in here?" Phobos pondered.

"Can you get me to my daughter oe not?" Tibor said angrily. He was having problems with human emotions.

"Well..." Fate stuttered, "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I...DON'T...KNOW!" she shouted. "I didn't know where I was going. Ask Cedric! He told me to tell you what I did!"

"How would he know this?" Phobos said, walking in front of Tibor.

"I don't know..." Fate whispered. In tears she ran into a room with a red door. _That must be her room,_ Phobos thought, _I'll go check on her in a moment. For now..._ He turne to face Tibor. "She was only trying to help," he said to him, "Why did you do that?"

Tibor looked down at his feet. After a long momenthe walked away from Phobos and into his room. Before he did, Phobos heard him mumble something that sounded like: "You don't have to worry about family. You killed all of yours."

Instead of trying to fight, Phobos went to talk to Fate.

Dark, Will and the others walked out of the chamber. Instead of being tired, they all looked refreshed and energized. This was because Dark had told them to take a nap before leaving the chamber.

"How long?" were the first words to come out of Dark's mouth.

"Three hours, ten minutes, five seconds," North replied.

"That means we've been in the chamber for the equivalence of Three years, five months, two weeks, three days, one hour, fifteen minutes, and ten seconds. Wow. I've broken my own record."

"Which was?" Irma asked, stretching her arms out.

Dark dodged her as she tried to hit him. "Four years and two minutes," he said, "You five learn even faster than I imagined." As he walked out Dark noticed something on the ground. _Odd,_ he thought, _What's a piece of paper doing in front of the chamber?_

He picked up the piece of paper. It had the name "DARK" written on it in big letters. He opened it, thinking it was from one of his friends. "Oh no," he moaned as he opened the letter.

"What is it?" East asked, running up to him.

He turned the piece of paper around so that everyone could see what it said.

"'Hi Dad?'" Hay Lin read. "Is there something you'd like to tell us, Dark?"

"Yeah." He looked at his friends. "My archenemy thinks I'm her father."

"What's her name?" Will asked.

"...Aiva."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Three

The Pool of Sight swirled. When it stopped three - four people appeared in its view. _One of these young men,_ it bubbled sadly, _are my son...I will be found, and they will regret putting me in here. They called me Despair for a reason. And I plan on showing all who have betrayed me why! Starting with my first two sons, Doom and Demon!_

Desire walked into the hallway. She noticed a strange door with a blue crest, much like the one that used to be her seal of protection. _Hmm,_ she pondered, _Whose room is this?_ She looked at the door. It was all black, excluding the crest, and had a white doorknob.

"Dark said he liked black and white," she said aloud, "Is this his room?"

_Why don't you go in and find out for yourself?_

"Why would I do that?"

_To find out if you're in love with your nephew._

"He's not my nephew! And I'm not in love with him."

_If he's my son, you're in love with your older nephew._

"How did that happen anyways?"

_You were born after him._

"Why do I listen to you, Despair?"

_Because older sister knows best. Open the door._

Though she trusted her older sister, Desire couldn't betray her best friend! She looked up at the ceiling, sighed and opened the door. Desire and The Pool of Sight began to tremble when they saw that the room was filled with...

_**Crack!**_

Desire heard something in her neck snap. She could feel nothing, except pain. Almost unbearable pain. So much pain that she soon would faint from it. Then she noticed something had grabbed hold of her.

_No. No! NO!_ she heard The Pool scream. She whipped around to see who was responsible for her pain and scaring her sister.

_Whap!_

Before she could see anything, Desire saw a new pain, this time in the form of a wood club! The Pool of Sight watched as she helplessly squirmed and tried to escape for this creature's grip.

"Don't run," the monster said, dragging her closer to it, "I'm not going to hurt you...Much." The monster pulled out a strange knife. Its blade was twisted as well as its handle. "I want you to give Flyer something."

"What?" Desire managed to say.

"This." It put the knife in her hand. He smiled looking at her. "And now, my sweet," it said, "I must do this."

_Thwap!_

Desire awoke on the bed in her room. In the shadow of her closet, she could see a tall figure. "Dark," she said with a weak smile, "Let me explain..."

Dark walked over to her. "Don't," he said, smiling, "Just be a little more careful. I was reviewing the surveillance footage when I saw this." He pulled out a picture of the animal that had victimized Desire. "Who or what is this?"

"I was hoping you knew."

"Well," a voice said from behind Dark, "the others are gonna find it, we're gonna stay here and take care of you."

"You mean you're staying, Dark?"

"Uh...no. I'm leaving you in the care of My friends Yan Lin..." A small, young, oriental girl walked up beside him. "Don't let her looks fool you. She's pretty old." Another girl walked up beside "Yan Lin." "And this," he said gesturing to the other girl, "is Amber. I have to leave now." He turned to the two girls. "I'm putting her in your care. Don't fail me."

_Poof!_

Dark had teleported out of the room, leaving the three of them alone.

"Tibor," Phobos said, "I'm leaving to Metamoor. I want you to come with me."

"You can go on your own," Tibor said, "You don't need me. No one does..."

He walked closer to him. "But we do," Phobos told him. He still couldn't believe he was sensitive. "It'll get your mind off of your dau-"

"Don't say it."

"Sorry. But you need to quit moping around. We need your help now. We can get your daughter later."

"Can I come too?"

Both men turned around to see Cedric.

"How can you help?" Tibor asked.

"Well I know how to get a portal."

"He's in," Phobos said, "How can we get a portal?"

"Well, we'll have to travel to Phoenix. The Children of the Vampyre can help us with this dilemma." The trio decided to follow the W.i.t.c.h.e.d. team to Nreyda.

Dark walked up behind his allies. Though he never showed or said it, he appreciated their friendship. "You guys ready to go?" he asked them.

"Ready!" Irma piped up.

_Irma. Always so energetic,_ Dark thought.

"I guess," Will said.

_Will, the shaky leader of our team._

"Ready," Cornelia cooed.

_Cornelia...hmm. I got nothin'._

"I'm ready!" Hay Lin said.

_Hay Lin...wow._

Taranee nodded.

_Hmmm. Taranee might be the most skittish of the group._

"Well," Phobos said, "let's go." He, Tibor and Cedric were standing in front of them.

"You guys are coming?"

"We have business in Nreyda," Cedric told them, "As soon as the portal to Nreyda is open, we'll be out of your hair."

"Well," Dark said hesitantly, "Okay. You can come."

"Great!" Phobos said. "But how will we get to Nreyda?"

Dark smiled. He stuck out his hand as if to shoot something out of it. Suddenly a giant black tear opened. At first it was just a small slit. Then it began to open wider. In seconds the tear in the fabric of time and space was big enough for someone to enter.

"I have to warn you," Dark told his nine companions, "Nreyda is very dangerous."

"How do you know?" Irma asked. "This is your first time going here."

"I don't know," Dark admitted, shrugging his shoulders, "I just feel it." With that the two teams entered the portal into Nreyda.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Four

North looked at the clock. _Five minutes before school starts,_ she thought, _That means they have the equivalence of three weeks and two hours before they have to come back._

_Why don't you go with them?_

North sighed. She knew that it was Despair. Her voice, at least. North knew what she had become, but she liked Depression's old name "I'm afraid," she admitted.

_You?_

"Why is that so hard to believe?"

_You've never been afraid of anything...ever._

"I'm afraid that Dark is being hurt..."

_By who?_ Her voice grew angry.

"By himself."

_WHAT?_

"He's told of the danger of the Training Chamber, but he doesn't listen to his advice. He spends limitless time in there, making him too mature. Right now he sometimes acts as if he's in his late thirties. He doesn't understand what it's doing to him."

_Then destroy it._

"You know I can't do that."

_Then stop crying about it to me. Tell Dark. And get the d**n door! I hate that new bell._

As soon as Despair finished saying this the doorbell rang. Make that exploded.

_BOOOOOOOOOOM!_

North raced to the door, fearful that whoever was there might ring it again. She opened the door to find herself looking at a small girl. She was 4' 9" with black eyes and brown hair in the form of a pony-tail. She wore a strange black jacket and blue jeans. She couldn't have been mor than eight or nine years old. She was holding a map.

"Can I help you?" North said with a polite smile.

"Yes," the girl said, smiling equally as politely, "I am looking for a Dark Flyer. Have you seen him?"

"Hm..." North fake pondered, "Nope. Never heard of him. Is he one of the new people here in Heatherfield?"

"I think so."

"Well if I see anyone with that name I'll let you know."

"Thank you." The girl bowed and began to walk across the street.

"Wait!" North called after her. "What's you r name?"

"Aiva!" the girl shouted back. "Aiva Slie!"

Gasping, North closed the door. "Her," she whispered, "She knows."

Aiva laughed. _I love my new look,_ she thought, _It's much better than my older one. With this new disguise I'll catch my dad, and finally ba able to knock some sense into him. I just hope I can do it before it's too late._ She looked at the house she'd just left from. _You can't pull a fast one on me, Auntie North,_ she continued, _I'll be back...soon._ She looked at her map. _But for now let's go talk to some people at Sheffield._

"Hold it right there, Aivita!" North shouted. She was standing behind her. "If you want to talk to your 'dad,' he's out right now."

"'Out' where?" Aiva asked. "Perhaps courting my mother?'

"What?"

"Where is he?"

"In Nreyda."

The name itself was terrifying, but what was worst was what he was going to try to do while in there. "Who else is in there?" She inquired.

"Will Vandom, Irma Lair, Taranee Cook, Cornelia Hale, Hay Lin, and my daughter, East Side."

"Oh no!"

"What is it?"

"We have to get them out of there!"

"Why?"

"Because my mom always tells the story of how she and Dark first meet."

"How do they meet?"

"They meet in Nreyda."

"You mean...?"

"Yes," Aiva sighed, "My mother is a Nreydan."

"No! Not that! I meant you mean that he won't marry one of the five Guardians?"

"He will...after my mother dies while giving birth to me."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Dark looked around. _This is Nreyda?_ he asked himself. _It looks so...beautiful._

In truth, Dark really did love the way Nreyda looked. The sights made it look a little depressing, but he decided to ignore this one blemish. The darkness made him feel very comfortable. But he decided to enjoy his vacation later. Right now he had six scared girls and three older guys with him, supposedly trying to find the last demon, Luck.

_How is it that I know all this?_ he asked himself. _It's as if I know everything about this place. Including that time has slowed down. Now we have about fifteen minutes, instead of just five. But shouldn't there be more time than just this?_

Realizing that something was wrong, he decided it was time for him and his friends to go. "Guys," he said in a small voice, "We've got to get out of here."

"Why?" Hay Lin asked.

"Trust me. We've got to go now."

"But what about our agreement?" Tibor asked.

"You're in Nreyda. You're on your own now." After saying this, Dark created the portal again. "Come on! We've still got school." He walked into the portal. Hay Lin followed. After a few moments, the rest of the W.i.t.c.h.e.d. team walked into the portal. After all of the girls were safely on Earth, Dark closed the portal again.

"What was that all about?" Will asked Dark.

"We were moving too slowly."

"So?" Irma said.

Dark sighed. "You don't understand. When you move too slowly in another dimension things happen. You could get hurt or mentally damaged or even be stuck in that dimension forever."

"How do you know all this?" Cornelia inquired.

"I don't know..." Dark said, looking down at his feet, "I really don't know..."

"Well let's just get ready for school," Taranee said, saving Dark from his awkward moment, "Today _is_ Picture Day, after all."

_Thank goodness for Taranee!_ Dark thought, and almost said. While dressing, Dark began feeling he'd forgotten something.

Was it his shoes? He looked down. No. They were on his feet. His pants? Not that either. He went down a long list fo things, and found that he had everything. Then he looked at his friends. Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, Hay Lin, East, North, Fate, Scales...Aiva?

_What's she doing here?_

Before he could answer, Dark realized something. He was missing some people. Three to be exact.

"Oh no!" Dark shouted. "I left Tibor, Phobos, and Cedric in Nreyda!"

As Dark was panicking, Phobos, Tibor and Cedric were forming a plan on how to get a portal.

"All right," Cedric said, "The Good Children of the Vampyre are called that because, well, they are th good children from the Vampyre. But they are all in Phoenix, where we can't go, so we need to find one of the five Evil Children of the Vampyre."

"Where could we find them?" Phobos asked.

"Well two of them are in the Castle, so they're out. Two are on Earth, so we can't reach them, which means we have only one that we can reach..."

"Who is?"

"...Luck."

Deciding that they would go back to Nreyda after school, Dark, and the others left to Sheffield Institue, eager to get back to Nreyda.

During Math, Dark was called on to do a problem on the blackboard. Hay Lin noticed that as he walked by Uriah, he seemed to pause. Carefully, he began to walk in a zig-zag motion until he reached the blackboard.

_What was that all about?_ Hay Lin asked herself. She watched as he slowly made his way back to his seat.

"What are you doing?" she whispered to him.

"Uriah's gotten very elaborate with his pranks," he replied, "He's set trip lines all over the place. They're very thin, so it'll be hard to see them. Watch your step!"

After a long math class, the bell finally rang, signaling that it was lunch time.

"Hold on Dark," Mr. Snipe said, walking to the center of the room, "We need to do one more thing..."

"What is it, Mr. Snipe?" Dark asked.

"Well..."

_SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!_

_**"!"**_

The cries rang throughout the hallways. Mr. Snipe had just pepper-sprayed Dark! Through tear-filled eyes, Dark looked up at the math teacher. "What was that for?" he sobbed.

"Someone needs to see you," was the man's reply. Carefully, he picked dark up and began to carry him out of the classroom.

"Hold it, Death!"

"Death?" Dark repeated. "I know you. You're that crazed police chief from The Fallen City!"

Death turned around to see himself facing Uriah. The smirk on his face meant he was going to try something.

"Ah, Uriah," Death said in a much deeper voice, "What a surprise that you would betray us."

"I'm full of surprises," the young boy said back, "Ask anybody."

"Well you're about to see how it feels to be destr-ah!"

While they were talking, Dark had recovered from the pepper-spray and now was holding Death up by his shirt's collar. "That wasn't very nice," he said with a smirk, "Or effective. It's my turn now, right?"

With that Dark drew back his fist, prepared to strike his hostage, but before he could he was struck by a lightning bolt. Stunned and in pain, he fell to the ground. "Uriah!" Dark shouted. "What was that for?"

"For both of you," he responded. Dark then noticed that Death was in just as much pain as he was!

"Who's side are you on?" Death said through clenched teeth.

"Me? I'm on no one's side. I work for myself and no one else!" With that, uriah thew out a small sphere-like object. As he did smoke began to shoot out of it. In seconds the smoke clouded the entire hallway. After a few seconds the smoke cleared, and both Uriah and Death were gone.

Dark stood up and brushed off his clothes. "Well," he said to himself, "I wonder what that was all about?" Deciding to share this information with his friends, Dark headed over to the cafeteria. _This is great!_ he thought. _First I have six girls living in my house, now I'm being attacked by a nut and some kid. I wonder what'll happen tomorrow?_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

TIbor looked closely at Cedric. Instead of giving him any different clothing, Dark had decided to let him keep his long, flowing robes. _Strange,_ he thought, _What is so special about him? How does he know all of this? Why can he keep his clothing, but Phobos and I can't? And...Why does he seem so familiar?_

"We need to find Luck," Phobos said, snapping Tibor out of his thoughts. He turned to Cedric. "Do you know where we should start looking for him?"

"Yes," a voice said.

Neither Tibor nor Cedric had said a word, and even if they had, neither of them had a voice that deep. Slowly turning around, Phobos prepared for the worst. He took a deep breath as he faced the creature that had spoken.

"What are you?" Tibor asked. The creature was shrouded in darkness. It was almost as if the darkness was a part of it.

"I am Luck," the being said, "I wish to aid you in returning to Metamoor."

"Why?" Phobos inquired. Being cautious, he took a step back from the demon.

"Let's just say I have my reasons."

"Well," Cedric said, stepping in front of Phobos, "how will we go there?"

"I shall create a portal for you."

"Will it stay open? Can we get back to Earth?"

"Well..."

"'Well?'" Phobos shouted. "'Well' what?"

"Well," Luck said, ignoring the former prince's arrogance, "It will be hard to get you to Earth from there. If you know someone on Earth who could open portals, they might be able to."

"Dark!" Cedric shouted.

"Yes, he's the one. I'm not sure how he does it, as far as I knew only a Child of the Vampyre can open and close portals. Can you contact him?"

Looking through the pockets of his jeans, Tibor found the cell phone that Dark had given him. He could still hear his words:

"Don't leave it on," he'd said, "Never take out the battery. And if you ever need to contact me, dial the number 1 and press this button." He remembered the button. It only had a line on it, making it look plain amongst the other buttons with letters and numbers.

"We can talk to him on this," he said, "All we have to do is press '1' and that button."

"Good," Luck said, "Call him as soon as you finish what you need to do." He began walking away.

"Wait!" Cedric called to him. "Why are you helping us? Aren't you evil?"

"No. Dark knows this. He only told his friends that he was hunting me so that they wouldn't get suspicious about what was really happening."

"What _is_ really happening?" Phobos found himself saying.

"You'll find out...soon."

With that Luck stuck out his hand and projected a dark, swirling mass of energy, known as a portal. Without another word, the trio walked into the portal, entering the now peaceful world of Metamoor.

Meanwhile, on Earth, Dark had told the other Keepers - or were they Guardians? He was still confused about this whole "magic" thing - about what happened to him.

"And then they disappeared," he finished, "what does that mean?"

"It means Uriah was using Death and whoever he works for so that he could become powerful," Will told him, "I don't think we've seen the last of him."

"Too bad," Cornelia said, "I had promised Lillian I would take her to the zoo today." She gave a deep sigh. "I guess I won't be able to do that now. And it would've been so perfect!"

What Cornelia was talkign about was the announcement that had just been called out:

"Attention students! Attention! We will be having another half day today, due to some technical dfficulties. We apologize for any inconvinience."

"Well don't worry," Dark said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, "We'll find them. I promise." Just then the bell rang, signaling that the schoolday was over. "But first," he continued as he walked to the trash can, "i'm gonna do something about this school!"

As the seven kids walked to the door, Dark got a sinking feeling. "Well," he said, opening the door for them, "You'll still be living with me, you'll just be sharing your rooms with...your family!"

As Dark opened the doors to the school, he could see his friends almost start to cry. Hay Lin _did_ start crying as she ran to embrace her mom and dad. Cornelia began to cry while holding her little sister. Will and Taranee got all misty-eyed when they saw their parents as well. The only people who weren't crying were Dark, Irma, and East.

"Why aren't you with your family?" Dark asked Irma, noticing that she was still standing next to him.

"Because," she said, "My _real_ mom's not down there."

"Don't be so sure," East said, pointing to the young woman standing next to her stepmom. "you see her? That's your _real_ mother."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"That's my mom?" Irma shouted. "She looks like she could be my sister!"

"Actually," East said, "You have a half-sister and brother."

"You mean...?"

"Yes, she had more children than just you."

"So I have siblings?"

"Half-siblings...but yes."

"Come on!" Dark exclaimed. "Let's go meet your mom!" He and East started to run down the stairs of the school. Dark stopped once he noticed that Irma was still standing at the top of the stairs. "What's wrong?" he asked, walking back up the stairs.

"Well..." Irma said, frowning, "I don't know...I just don't think I'm ready."

"Ready to do what?"

"Ready to accept the fact that I have a mom again."

"You have to come meet her." Dark felt his heart quickening. He knew he couldn't do anything to get her to come and meet Heather. But then he thought of something. Dark asked "Is there anything I can do that will change your mind?"

"Well..." Irma said, pondering on what she wanted, "Yes."

"What?"

"Kiss me."

"Huh?"

"I want you to kiss me!"

Irma smiled slightly at Dark's facial expression. She could see he was thinking about something. "What's wrong?" she teased. "Don't tell me you're scared."

"I am," Dark admitted. Everyone gasped when they heard this. Deciding to try to have a private conversation with Irma, he whispered "I'm scared of what Hay Lin'll do to me."

"Hay Lin?" Irma repeated, laughing. "You're scared of her?"

"Yes."

Irma's laughing stopped. "Seriously?" she asked him.

"Yes," Dark replied, "Some people have the Fear of God, I have the Fear of Hay Lin. You saw what she almost did to me once. Think of what she might do to me now."

"Don't worry, Dark," Hay Lin said, "I won't do anything."

Letting out a small sigh, Dark leaned towards Irma and gently pressed his lips against hers.

Irma was shocked. Even though she knew kissing Dark would feel good, she didn't know it would feel _that_ good.

_Do you practice for this?_ she thought.

_No. in fact this is my first time doing this._

Dark's voice was calm, but his whole body was shaking. After a long moment, the kiss ended. As Dark slowly pulled himself away from her, Irma felt herself letting out a sigh.

"Now," Dark said, smiling triumphantly, "Let's go meet your mother." He took Irma's hand and together they walked down the stairs of the school to meet Heather.

Heather smiled as she saw Dark and Irma apraoch her. "Hello," she said in a sweet voice, "My name is Heather. I'm your birth mother." Then she turned to Dark. "And, Dark, sweety," she said, equally as sweet, "Don't kiss your sister again. It doesn't look right."

There was a long pause. No one moved. No one blinked. No one even breathed. Then Dark finally broke the silence.

"Oh, my good Lord! I just kissed my sister!"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

While Dark was having his awkward family reunion, Phobos was preparing to have an equally awkward one. He, Cedric and Tibor were now all in Metamoor. They were headed toward the palace. They wore long, hooded robes that covered their feet. The world had flourished after Phobos had taken the fall. Noticing the happiness on all of the people's faces, he sighed.

"I remember when I was in charge of Metamoor," he said to his companinons. "At that time I wanted everyone to be sad. But now, looking at how much better the world is with joy, I feel terrible guilt." A tear formed in his eye. "I forced these people to stay miserable. I used to hate to see anyone smile. Now that's all I want."

"What?" Cedric asked. He was astonished that Phobos would want something as small as that.

"Not just anyone..." Phobos looked up at the castle. "I want Elyon to smile...And be happy that her brother is still alive and well..."

It was too late to run. Too late to hide. Phobos smiled. "This..." he said quietly, "...was once my home."

Meanwhile, on Earth, Irma was still frozen in place. Dark was now regergitating and saying unintelligible things between breaths. The one word that everyone could hear when he said it was "SISTER!" which meant he was about to start vomitting again.

"Dark!" Christopher shouted. Though he was only half related to Irma, he still had her loud voice. "Come on! It's not all that bad!"

"N-n-not that bad?" Dark repeated. He felt himself begining to get angry. "Not that bad? I thought I was all alone in this pathetic universe! Then I find out that the first girl I've ever kissed is my SISTER! How isn't that bad!"

Christopher stepped back. His eyes began to fill with tears. "Are you mad at me?" he asked in a quiet tone. Tears began rolling down his cheek.

"No," Dark whispered. He hugged the young boy. "It's just that I've never known that I had a family, and now that I have one...I'm scared."

"Scared?" Cornelia, as well as East repeated. "Scared of what? What could make a giant like you scared?"

"...I'm scared of losing my family...again."

"Again?" Tom, Irma's father, asked. He came closer to him. "How can you lose us again?"

"Well," Dark said, rubbing the tears from his eyes, "I was adopted twice, once by a family with the last name of 'Thomason,' and then again by another family named 'Samus.' Both had a mother, father and daughter. Each time, the entire family was killed. The strangest thing is that they were killed at the exact time a year apart."

"What time was it?" Dark heard Susan Vandom ask.

"1:30"

"What day?" He heard Taranee inquire.

"May the twenty-first."

"What's so special about that day?" Will pondered.

"Well...It's the most important day to me because...It's the date of my birthday."

Silence. Nothing made a sound. Not even the giant clock on the front of the institute, which once was giving out a quiet "tick. tock." sound, made a noise. Time stood still once more. It had happened four times before: When Dark kissed Irma, when Dark first became a Keeper, and when Dark saw his parents die.

Finally, in an attempt to break the silence, Dark said to his friends "Let's go home. Tomorrow your homes will be clean and you'll all be able to leave my house." He summoned his limousine, and everyone climbed in.

_I need to get them out of my house before 1:30 tomorrow morning,_ Dark told himself, _Otherwise I might lose my __**actual**__ family this time._

Even farther off, The Pool of Sight watched as Dark closed the door to his car. _He..._ It bubbled _...is my son._


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

It was peaceful in Kandrakar. As usual, sounds were neither made nor heard. Not even the Voice of Kandrakar spoke. Then, after many long hours, there was a sound. A voice, to be precise. It was the Voice of Kandrakar.

_It is time,_ the voice said. It sounded deeper than before. _The new Oracle has been found. Now we must bring him here so that peace can once more be restored._

Meanwhile, in the world of Nreyda, Demon, along with his brothers Doom, and Death were preparing themselves. They all knew what needed to be done. And they all knew that there was no way around it.

"Ready?" Demon asked his companions.

"I guess..." both men replied.

"Then let's go." Demon stuck his hand out, palm-down, so that his fingertips were pointing outwards. After a moment a portal appeared in front of the trio.

_I can do it without magic now,_ Demon thought with a snicker.

Then the three men walked into the portal.

On Earth Dark was trying to sleep, but found that he couldn't. His friends were packed and he had three hours before he had to get them out of his house, but he still felt as if he needed to move them out now.

_I gotta do it,_ he told himself. He rolled out of bed and onto the floor. _I can't risk it._ He looked at his clock. _It's only 10:30, but I have to do it. The houses are clean. They have to go back now!_ By this time he was at the front door. Taking a deep breath he shouted.

"WAKE UP, PEOPLE!"

The sound of his voice must have startled them, judging by the sounds that he heard coming from the rooms.

"What is it?" Taranee asked as she ran to the front door. She, as well as all of her friends and all of their families, were all rushing to the door. "Dark what's wrong?"

"You have to go back home now!" Dark replied. "Something's about to happen. I can feel it. The limo driver will take you guys home. There's enough room for all of you. Now go!"

Literally pushing them out the door, Dark started to feel tears fill his eyes._ Not this time,_ he thought, _Not this time..._

Just as the limousine pulled of, Dark saw what he'd felt. A portal opened and three evil-looking men stepped out of it. They all wore giant hats and long overcoats.

"Hello, Dark," one of the men said, "We need you to come with us."

"You can have me," Dark replied, "When I'm dead!" He then summoned a pair of daggers and lunged at the man that had spoken.

Dark awoke the next morning. He was lying on the street, surrounded by blood and slices of black cloth. He didn't know what had happened that night. All that he knew was that whatever happened saved his life.

"Well," he said with a smile, "Happy birthday to me." He then walked inside of his house.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Irma walked up to the door of Dark's house. It was fascinating how big his house was on the inside compared to the outside. She knocked on the door.

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

No answer.

Since the door was never locked and the guards were gone, Irma decided to go in anyways. After all, it was her house too, in a way.

Just as she walked through the door, Irma saw Dark sitting in his chair. He was smiling for a change. But it seemed that his smile was more evil than happy. As she got closer, Irma noticed that Dark's clothes were torn in some places and that there was blood coming from some areas of him.

"What happened?" she asked him.

"Nothing," he replied. He rose from his chair and walked over to her. "Nothing that you should be concerned about..."

Irma took a step back. She didn't know Dark for very long, but she did know that he was very powerful and a little out of control.

"What did you do?"

"I protected you, as well as everyone else."

"How?"

"...I...Does it really matter?"

"Dark...Did you...hurt someone?"

"You're safe now. That's all that matters." Dark's once evil smile was now replaced with a grimace. He turned away from Irma so that she couldn't see his eyes. "It's not your problem. I took care of it."

Irma wanted to say something to him, but couldn't. She remained speechless for a few moments. Finally she said "I want you to teach me."

This made Dark turn around. Irma could visibly see that he'd been crying. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea after all.

"T-t-teach you?" he repeated. "Teach you what?"

"Teach me everything you know."

"No."

Irma wasn't surprised at her brother's answer. It seemed that he was in a bad mood now. It seemed that he was in a bad mood ever since he found out that they were related to one another.

"If you won't teach me, will you at least follow me?"

Dark wanted to shake his head, but it seemed that he really had no choice. _It would be wrong to say no to this._ he thought. _Besides what could happen?_ Taking Irma's hand, they left Dark's home and started down the street.

Meanwhile, in Metamoor, Phobos, Cedric and Tibor walked into the massive castle that was once owned by Phobos. There was something different about this place now, though. Unlike when he was ruler of it, the castle now seemed to be happier and more beautiful. The guards, however, seemed to be about the same. Two of them were now blocking their way.

"State your business," one of them said in a gruff voice.

"I must speak to the queen," Phobos said.

"About?"

"That is none of your concern."

Instead of trying to start a fight, the guards moved out of the the way.

_I guess they were mean even before I took control,_ he thought. After a few minutes, the group arived at the door of the throne room. Phobos took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and walked into the room.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

The Pool of Sight rippled, revealing Dark and Irma. They were still walking at the time, but It knew they wouldn't be for long. Soon they would be at Sheffield Institute.

_And that's when I will intervene,_ The Pool bubbled. _I must speak to my son. It's the only way I will ever be freed from this prison I'm in._ It watched as Irma and Dark neared the school's gate. It seemed to smile as it watched Irma open the gate for Dark. And as It waited for the right moment, there was a noise. A shout, to be exact.

"SURPRISE!"

Dark didn't know who the voices belonged to, but he was sure he heard Taranee's in them somewhere. _These must be my friends and their families then,_ he decided. _It's nice to see that they remembered me._

Dark smiled at his friends, but not in a very happy way. This was because he now heard a voice in the back of his head saying "These are not your friends. These are your enemies. Leave. Now!" Ignoring the voice, he went deeper into the party. It would be wrong to leave now, especially since it was a party for him. He walked over to the punch bowl.

The Pool bubbled. It was finally time. Reaching out to his mind, the Pool started talking to Dark.

_Enjoying the party?_ It asked.

"Yes. Very much so," Dark replied. He thought that Taranee had said it.

"Uh...I didn't say anything." Taranee said.

"Oh. Well it, uh, is a nice party..."

_Walk away from the others,_ The Pool instructed.

_Who said that?_ Dark was finally catching onto the fact that someone-or something-was talking to him.

_Just do it._

Obeying the voice, Dark walked over to the gate of the Institute.

_Good. Now make a portal._

Dark hesitated. He didn't want his friends' families to know that he had powers, and if he just disappeared, it might hurt their feelings. _I can't,_ he told The Pool. _I have to stay here._

_Make a copy of yourself._ The Pool of Sight told him. _Then it will stay there and you can come here._

Dark hated cloning himself. He always had to say or think a bunch of stupid words to get the copy. Since there was no privacy in his mind, Dark said the words aloud. He closed his eyes and hoped that no one heard him.

"Both as one," he began, "One as both. The one is greater than both."

Dark opened his eyes and saw another pair staring at him.

_Now create the portal before anyone sees you two together._ The Pool's excitement was visible.

Creating the portal, Dark stepped into Nreyda. He looked around. Instead of being in a street, like last time, he was inside of a big, empty room. In the back of the room there was a bowl of water.

"Do you see me?" a voice said. "I see you. Look into the pool to see me."

Dar followed the order and looked in. When he did, he saw a young woman. She had fair skin and deep purple hair. She was wearing a white, long-sleeved dress that had many priceless gems on it.

"I am The Pool of Sight," the woman said, "Tip the pool over and set me free."

As Dark tilted the bowl, he heard the sound of footsteps coming. Quickly tipping the pool over so that some of the water could spill out, he hid behind the curtains in the room. As the door opened, Dark saw a familiar face. The man in the doorway was one of the men that had tried to kidnap him last night. Instead of trying to run or attack the man, he decided to see what he would do.

"Oh, great Pool of Sight," the man said, "Show me Dark Flyer!"

The Pool bubbled "No."

"No? How dare you tell me no?"

"Well...I guess because I'm free now!"

Suddenly the bowl cracked and started to leak. Instantaneously, the water left in the pool shot upwards. After a few moments the water stopped shooting out of the pool and revealed the woman Dark had seen in the water!

"Mother!" the man shouted.

"Dark! Now!"

Dark shot out from his hiding place and created a portal. Jumping over her son, the woman ran into it with Dark close behind her.

"No!" Dark heard the man say. Before he could do anything, Dark had closed the portal and he and the woman were safely in his house.

"Who are you?" Dark asked her.

"My name is Despair," she told him. "And I am one of your mothers."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Phobos walked throughout the halls of the palace. He knew them inside and out. He could walk around the palace blind folded if he needed to.

"Now we must get to Elyon," Tibor said. "She'll probably be in the throne room."

Cedric said nothing. He seemed a little afraid to see Elyon again. "Maybe this was a bad idea," he whispered to Phobos. "Maybe we should go back to Earth and come back later."

"No." Phobos said, "I need to do this now."

"But you only get one chance. Don't you want the Guardians to be here when you do this, so that if there's a riot, you'll at least have some kind of protection?"

This hadn't crossed Phobos' mind until just now. Cedric was right. He might need the Guardians, just in case there was a riot. And it would give him extra credit with his sister, and everyone else, if he showed up with them as his allies.

"You're right, Cedric." Phobos said. He looked over at Tibor. "Take us out of here."

Tibor sighed and pulled out the cellphone Dark had given him. Pushing the first button, the phone speed-dialed Dark's house.

On Earth, Dark was frozen in shock. He'd already met one mother he knew, now he met one he didn't. He gulped as he watched the woman walk in a circle around him.

"Oh don't act so surprised, Dark." She said. She claimed her name was Despair. A strange name. It did sound like she could be Dark's mother. "You knew you had more than one family."

"But how?" Dark asked. His fear had melted and curiosity was left in its place.

"Well...Let me tell you a story."

Dark sat in his chair. Despare cleared her throat and began.

"Every Four hundred years, a child is born in the exact same time, on Earth, Nreyda, Pheonix, Metamoor, and sometimes even Kandrakar. This is when a child is chosen to become the King of Nreyda. But before that, a disaster and miracle happen.

"The disaster is that all of the children die. The miracle is that one comes back to life. Unfortunately, only the chosen child survives. It's rumored that the children's souls intertwine and create one soul. But this is just a rumor. There's no proof. Except for the fact that the Chosen One can describe any one of the worlds that were involved in the ceremony in graphic detail.

"This is only the fourth time this ceremony has been held. The only reason I know who you are is because I saved you. Dark, you are my son, as well as two other families'. You are the Chosen One. You will be the King of Nreyda."

"What if I don't want to be the King?"

"Then you must pass the duties of King onto he who you see worthy."

Just before Dark could say anything else, his phone rang.

"Hello?" he said as he answered the phone.

"Dark. It's me, Tibor. We need you to create a portal for us."

"Okay. So from where to where?"

"From Metamoor to Earth."

"How did you get to-"

"Luck made a portal for us."

"Luck?"

"It's not important. Just get us out of here."

Obeying Tibor's orders, Dark created a portal for him and his companions to get to Earth. After they were safely inside of his house, Dark asked "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Cedric said. "We just thought that you might like to come with us, along with all of the other Guardians."

"Well I'll ask them." It was at that time that Dark remembered that he'd left his friends back at the school. "We got to go!" he shouted. He grabbed his "mother's" arm and ran to the door.

"Wait Dark," Despair said, pulling her arm back, "I'll just stay here. I don't think they're ready to see me. But you should leave that hat here and show them what you look like."

_She's right._ Dark thought to himself. He removed his hat and stepped outside into the light of the afternoon sun. He took a moment to look at the world without his hat. Then he ran off to meet his friends once more.

"Now then," Despair said to herself, "I think I should tell Fate that she's in love with her nephew." With that, she walked up the stairs to see her sisters.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Cedric walked upstairs to his room. He laid on his bed and sighed.

_I can't see her,_ he thought. _It's too soon. When Phobos and the others go to Metamoor, I'll just stay here._ He sighed again and closed his eyes.

Dark walked up to the school. He saw his clone talking to Miss Vandom. Whatever he was talking about with her, he seemed really uncomfortable about.

_Come to me..._ he said in the clone's mind. The clone obeyed and walked over to the gate. "Time for you to go." he said.

"Where?" the clone asked.

"Inside of me." Instead of explaining it anymore, Dark showed him.

Grabbing the clone's hands and closing his eyes, Dark pictured the clone and him merging as one. Suddenly the clone turned transparent and began to float inside of Dark. An instant later Dark opened his eyes. Instead of two people being there, there was only one. And the one left had a from his hiding place, Dark walked back over to Will's mother, who'd told him to call her Susan instead of Miss Vandom.

He now knew why the clone looked so nervous. They'd been talking about him dating Will!

"Oh hell..." he said quietly. Now he was in for it. Before his conversation with Susan, the clone had tried to kiss Cornelia! There was a crumpling sound in Dark's pocket. _She'd gave him her phone number? This is scary...I wonder if I should call her?_

"Dark? Are you all right?" he heard Miss Van-Susan's voice say.

"I'm okay." Dark replied. He shook his head and smiled. "i'd like to show you all something." Dark started shaking as he removed his cape.

"I've put this off for too long." He removed his gloves.

"What are you-" Irma began.

"Please don't interrupt." Dark said. He then hesitated. "I've wanted to show you this for a long time...And now I will." Dark removed his hat. There was silence. Then Irma broke it.

"You look nice, Dark. You shouldn't have hidden that tatoo from us." She was referring to Dark's snake that was placed on his head.

"It's not a tatoo." Dark said to her. "It's a birthmark. There are three of them. One on each of my arms, one on my chest, and one on my head. They've been on me ever since I was first born. They seem to be the real source of my power."

"Power?" Susan said.

_**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!**_

Suddenly Dark's mind was clouded with a cry for help. He knew where it was coming from and who was giving it out. "I'll explain later," he said. He turned to the Guardians. "We need to go...now!"

While running away from the school, Hay Lin asked "Where are we going?"

"Back to my house. Some uninvited visitors seem to be back!" Dark prepared himself. "Looks like they want a rematch!"


End file.
